June 6 1865 William Clarke Quantrill dies of wounds suffered in May...Quantrill was badly wounded in a skirmish with Union forces, and he died on this day in 1865. Since Quantrill's men were guerillas rather than legitimate soldiers, they were denied the general amnesty given to the Confederate army after the war ended. Some, like Frank and Jesse James, took this as an excuse to become criminals and bank robbers. Quantrill was 24 when he died.

Robert Sallee James (1818-1850) was the father of the famous outlaw Jesse James. He was a hemp farmer, slave owner, and Baptist minister from Kentucky who helped found William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. Robert James was orphaned at age nine and went to live with his married sister Mary Mimms. In 1838 he enrolled at Georgetown College, Kentucky. While a student there, he met Zerelda Elizabeth Cole. They married on December 20, 1841.

Jesse James, photographed in Platte City at age 17, at about the time he joined Quantrill as a guerrilla. In Missouri, the secessionist was championed by guerrillas like William Quantrill, Jesse James, and Bloody Bill Anderson. Guerrillas would ride into a farm and take everything of value. Read more about this guerrilla warfare at the Missouri History Museum's blog: http://historyhappenshere.org/archives/7305#.